Three dogs die in house fire; no other injuries reported

August 14, 2019

A mid-morning house fire on Wednesday resulted in heavy property damage and the loss of three dogs that could not be resuscitated despite efforts by emergency personnel.

Cape Coral firefighters responding to the 9 a.m. call in the 1400 block of Northwest 2nd Street found flames through the roof, heavy smoke and two cars parked in the driveway.

They conducted a primary search of the residence and found no one home.

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Cape Coral firefighters responded to a residential structure fire in the 1400 block of Northwest 2nd Street Wednesday. The home suffered heavy damage and the homeowners lost three dogs.

CCFD

They did, however, discover three dogs inside, and, though Cape Coral firefighters and Lee County EMS personnel conducted CPR and used pet oxygen masks, the animals were unable to be saved, according to a release issued by the CCFD issued late Wednesday.

There were no other reported injuries.

"A neighbor was able to reach the homeowners by phone and confirm that they were not home," the release states.

Firefighters used tanker trucks to battle the blaze.

"Fire hydrants were not available in the area so crews secured two water supplies for fire suppression," the release states.

Firefighters implemented a "tender shuttle operation" using two 3,000-gallon tanker trucks provided by the CCFD and the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District to "continually shuttle water from the closest hydrant to a portable drafting tank that supplied deployed fire engines with water," officials said.

They also used water from a nearby canal.

"Turbo drafting operations were performed to obtained water from the canal behind the home," the release states.

"Fire crews' vitals (core temperature, heartrate, etc.) must normalize before they can redress in their gear and resume their fire suppression role. Crews will rotate in and out of rehab to safeguard the well-being of the firefighters and to provide continuous fire operations," the release states.